No tariff hike for electricity consumers in West Bengal

Power consumers in the state have been spared any hike in their electricity bills for the current fiscal, with regulator WBERC ruling against any increase in tariff for domestic and commercial use.
West Bengal Electricity Regulatory Commission(WBERC) has kept the power tariff exactly the same as that of 2014-15.
Average tariff for 2015-16 remained same at Rs 6.97 a unit as cleared by the state regulator, CESC Managing Director Aniruddha Basu told PTI.
CESC had asked for a tariff of Rs 7.55 a unit or nearly nine per cent hike as compared to last fiscal in their multi-year tariff petition.

CESC supplies power to Kolkata and Howrah, while the rest of Bengal is served by West Bengal State Electricity Distribution Corporation Ltd (WBSEDCL).
The discom in its accounts statement had argued that Rs 998 crore out of the total Rs 1,045 crore outflow due to coal block levy by government was "recoverable by way of tariff as it is directly related to the fuel sourced for the company's embedded generation for its distribution area in Kolkata and surroundings".
It was feared by consumer groups that if the outgo is treated as tariff there would have been substantial hike in charges.